Non-lethal hand pistol

ABSTRACT

A weapon, such as a semi-automatic gun pistol, is disclosed for discharging high velocity, non-lethal projectiles utilizing pressurized gas. The weapon includes a housing having a handle and a projectile storage cylinder sized and shaped to receive a plurality of substantially spherical-shaped projectiles. A discharge barrel is mounted proximate the projectile storage cylinder and has an open muzzle end and a closed base end, while a projectile loading chamber is disposed at the barrel base end and communicates with the projectile storage cylinder. An enclosure is provided in the housing for receiving a removable pressurized gas storage source. A gas discharge cell communicates with the gas storage source in the enclosure and is adapted to receive compressed gas for selective projectile discharge. The weapon further includes a hammer and striker assembly for selectively releasing a charge of compressed gas from the gas discharge cell into the loading chamber to discharge a projectile through the barrel, and into said hammer and striker assembly to return said weapon to a firing-ready condition. Finally, a trigger assembly selectively operates the hammer and striker assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to hand pistols and, moreparticularly, to weapons designed for self-defense. Specifically, thepresent invention relates to hand pistols including semi-automaticpistols which are nonlethal in design yet capable of deliveringsufficient impact, chemical retardant, or both, to stop an assailant.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Due to the actual or perceived threat of violence in today's society,firearms are more likely to be the weapon of choice for law enforcementpersonnel, the military and the public in situations where individualsbelieve that they must arm themselves in preparation for immediateretaliation or defense as a result of a threat of unknown force.Unfortunately, such firearms are typically weapons such as rifles,semi-automatic handguns and revolvers, all of which are intended to firelethal projectiles which are intended to maim and/or kill.

As an alternative to lethal firearms, less lethal projectiles forfirearms have been developed such as rubber bullets or fabric baggedbullets containing lead shot or heavy metal powder. Rubber bullets aregenerally relatively hard, are sometimes contained in a metallic core,and deliver their impact energy over a relatively small area. As aconsequence, there is still a high probability of serious injury or evendeath to persons subjected to the impact of rubber bullets. Other typesof nonlethal projectiles have been developed along with weapons forfiring the same and are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,727, No.5,221,809, No. 5,450,795 and No. 5,983,548.

A number of such non-lethal devices have been developed for use incircumstances that do not require lethal force. However, only a few havebeen sufficiently successful to be readily accepted. Some of thesedevices use a shotgun-size or larger caliber dedicated launcher toproject a solid, soft projectile, while others use a smaller caliberlauncher with variations of the rubber bullet concept to inject atranquilizer drug or just stun the targeted person. Other defensemethods used also include fire hoses, water cannons, mace, pepper sprayand a variety of electric shock inducers.

Another technique for reducing the impact of projectiles involves theuse of compressed gas. A variety of air and compressed gas guns areknown and are capable of firing a variety of projectiles including BB's,lead pellets and paint balls. One common type of gun uses smallcylinders containing compressed carbon dioxide. These metal cylindershave an end that can be punctured in order to release a high pressuregas. Guns of this type have been used for quite some time to fire leadpellets for purposes of game shooting and target shooting and morerecently have been developed and adapted to fire paint pellets. Thesepellets are in the form of spherical gelatin capsules filled with amarking solution or paint. Guns that fire paint pellets are used in mock“war games” where the users of the guns attempt to hit other gameparticipants with a paint color. Protective gear is worn to preventinadvertent injury during such games. Examples of such compressed gasweapons are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,251, No. 5,349,939, No.5,363,834, No. 5,634,456, No. 5,704,150 and No. 5,878,736. In addition,U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,211 discloses a pellet-loading device for a pelletgun. Unfortunately, these devices either do not fire with sufficientimpact to stop an assailant, or else they utilize small pellets whichcan in fact be extremely harmful and even lethal at times due to theirability to penetrate the human skin. As a result, there remains a needfor the general public as well as specific applications such as airplanepilots, policemen and riot control personnel, for a non-lethal weaponwhich has the capability of providing sufficient impact or other totemporarily debilitate or otherwise incapacitate an assailant yet is notdesigned to impart permanent injury or death. The present inventionaddresses this significant problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide aweapon for discharging high velocity, non-lethal projectiles.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a weapon fordefensive use which avoids the use of deadly force.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide asemi-automatic pistol which is capable of stopping an assailant withoutthe use of projectiles designed to penetrate the human body or materialssuch as aircraft windows or fuselage.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an impactweapon and/or chemical retardant delivery system which offers theconsumer an alternative to deadly firearms for defensive purposes.

To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with thepurpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly describedherein, a weapon is disclosed for discharging high velocity, non-lethalprojectiles utilizing pressurized gas. The weapon includes a housinghaving a handle and a projectile storage cylinder sized and shaped toreceive a plurality of substantially spherical-shaped projectiles. Adischarge barrel is mounted proximate the projectile storage cylinderand has an open muzzle end and a closed base end, while a projectileloading chamber is disposed at the barrel base end and communicates withthe projectile storage cylinder. An enclosure is provided in the housingfor receiving a removable pressurized gas storage source. A gasdischarge cell communicates with the gas storage source in the enclosureand is adapted to receive compressed gas for selective projectiledischarge. The weapon further includes a hammer and striker assembly forselectively releasing a charge of compressed gas from the gas dischargecell into the loading chamber to discharge a projectile through thebarrel, and into said hammer and striker assembly to return said weaponto a firing-ready condition. Finally, a trigger assembly selectivelyoperates the hammer and striker assembly.

In one modification of the invention, the pressure of the gas chargereleased by the gas discharge cell may be varied between 400-800 psig.per charge, while the removable gas storage source may be in the form ofa replaceable gas cartridge disposed in the enclosure containingcompressed gas of an amount sufficient for up to 20 charges.Additionally, the projectiles are preferably spheres, and the projectilestorage chamber may further include a spring bias mechanism for urgingmovement of the spheres into the loading chamber. The spheres maypreferably be made of solid or hollow aluminum, stainless steel, nylonor any other dense material, and are approximately 0.5″-0.8″ in diameterand 3-5 grams in weight. Alternatively, the spheres are substantiallyhollow, adapted for breakage upon impact and contain a chemical solutionfor incapacitating the impact recipient. Moreover, the weapon maypreferably be in the form of a semi-automatic pistol.

In another modification of the invention, the hammer and strikerassembly is includes a striker recoil element adapted for reciprocalmovement between first and second striker positions, and a hammerelement is also adapted for reciprocal movement between first and secondhammer element positions. A first spring bias member is provided forurging the hammer element in a first direction from the first hammerelement position to the second hammer element position to impact thestriker recoil element and move it to the second striker position. A gasdischarge valve is adapted for releasing a charge of gas from the gasdischarge cell to the loading chamber upon movement of the strikerrecoil element to the second striker position resulting from impact bythe hammer element. A secondary gas discharge aperture is adapted torelease a portion of the charge of gas from the gas discharge cellwithin the hammer element to return the hammer element to its firsthammer element position while closing the gas discharge valve. Finally,a trigger assembly selectively retains the hammer element in its firsthammer element position until release.

Yet another modification of the invention includes a weapon fordischarging high velocity projectiles utilizing pressurized gas whereinthe weapon includes a housing having a handle and a projectile storagecylinder sized and shaped to receive a plurality of projectiles. Adischarge barrel has an open muzzle end and a closed base end proximatethe projectile storage cylinder, and a projectile loading chamber isdisposed at the barrel base end and communicates with the projectilestorage cylinder. An enclosure is provided for receiving a removablepressurized gas storage cartridge. A hammer assembly is included forselectively releasing a charge of compressed gas from the pressurizedgas storage cartridge into the loading chamber to discharge a projectilethrough the barrel, and a trigger assembly selectively operates thehammer assembly. An improvement to this weapon is provided wherein theweapon is adapted for discharging high velocity, non-lethal projectiles.To this end, the weapon includes a gas discharge cell communicating withthe gas storage cartridge and which is adapted to receive a charge ofcompressed gas therefrom for selective release into the projectileloading chamber for projectile discharge. A valve assembly associatedwith the gas discharge cell is adapted to control the release of gasinto the loading chamber for projectile discharge.

Still another modification of the invention provides for asemi-automatic pistol for discharging high velocity, non-lethalprojectiles utilizing pressurized gas. The pistol includes a housinghaving a handle, a discharge barrel with an open muzzle end and a closedbase end, a projectile storage cylinder sized and shaped to receive aplurality of aligned and substantially spherical-shaped projectiles andpositioned adjacent and substantially parallel to the discharge barrel,and a sleeve for containing pistol operating elements. A projectileloading chamber is disposed at the barrel base end and communicates withthe projectile storage cylinder. An enclosure is provided and forreceives a removable pressurized gas storage cartridge. A gas dischargecell is disposed in the sleeve for communicating with the gas storagecartridge in the enclosure and adapted to receive a charge of compressedgas for selective projectile discharge. A valve assembly is furtherdisposed in the sleeve and associated with the gas discharge cell tocontrol the release of gas into the loading chamber for projectiledischarge. A conduit member interconnects the gas discharge cell and theloading chamber. A hammer element is adapted for reciprocal movementalong the conduit member between first and second hammer elementpositions, while a striker recoil element is adapted for reciprocalmovement along the conduit member between first and second strikerpositions. A first spring bias member is provided for urging the hammerelement in a first direction from the first hammer element position tothe second hammer element position to impact the striker recoil elementand move it to the second striker position. A primary gas dischargeopening is defined in the distal end of the conduit at the loadingchamber. A gas discharge valve is then adapted for releasing a charge ofgas from the gas discharge cell through the conduit and said primary gasdischarge opening into the loading chamber upon movement of the strikerrecoil element to the second striker position resulting from impact bythe hammer element. A secondary gas discharge aperture is also providedand is adapted to release a portion of the charge of gas from the gasdischarge cell within the hammer element to return the hammer element tothe first hammer element position while closing the gas discharge valve.Finally, a trigger assembly is provided for selectively operating thehammer element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and form a part ofthe specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the presentinvention and, together with a description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, with some parts in section and someparts in shadow, of a semi-automatic pistol embodiment constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, ofa gas discharge cell and valve assembly embodiment constructed inaccordance with the present invention and utilized with the embodimentof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged side view of a striker recoil element embodimentutilized in conjunction with the hammer element of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3B is an enlarged side view of an alternate striker recoil elementembodiment utilized in conjunction with the hammer element of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of a hammer element and assemblyembodiment utilized with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a partial side elevation view of the trigger assembly of theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevation view of the trigger and camcomponents of the trigger assembly of the embodiment illustrated in FIG.5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a non-lethal hand pistol 10 is disclosed and usescompressed gas to fire a lightweight aluminum or similar materialprojectile or pepper spray ball at sufficient velocity to causesignificant pain or incapacity upon impact but not penetrate the humanbody. This impact or striker gun preferably contains a replaceable gascartridge as disclosed below and may fire up to six or more projectiles,“bullets” or balls. In preferred form, the spherical bullets areapproximately 0.5-0.8 inches in diameter, or about 64-75 caliber, weigh3-5 grams and are made of hollow spheres containing pepper spray orother chemical solution, are hollow stainless steel, or may be solidspherical rubber or aluminum bullets. Preferably, the projectiles may bemade of nylon, plastic or any other appropriate material designed tocontain a chemical solution like pepper spray and to break upon impact,thereby releasing the spray into the face of the assailant.

Moreover, the replaceable gas cartridge may contain compressed carbondioxide, nitrogen or air and preferably contains sufficient gas todischarge up to 20 bullets before replacement is necessary. However, thepreferred design will discharge about 6-7 spheres per gas cartridge. Asa result, the spherical bullets are fired at velocities up toapproximately 400 fps. This projectile size, shape, weight and velocitycombination is sufficient to stop an aggressive attacker at close rangewithout causing fatal wounds. Although this gun is designed to benon-lethal, it is possible to still cause lethal injuries if a bulletwere solid metal and were to strike a person at a vulnerable spot undercertain limited circumstances. Nonetheless, the difference between thepresent invention and a typical firearm is that the prior art firearm isdesigned to fire a high velocity bullet that penetrates the human bodyand causes severe internal injuries, while this device is not designedto do so.

The bullets of the invention can be solid or hollow and are preferablyheld in a straight, horizontal magazine as disclosed below. A springmechanism as further discussed in greater detail is associated with themagazine to allow semi-automatic firing in several of the embodiments.The velocity of the spherical bullets may allow them to hit the attackerwith varying force as a situation requires, because the presentinvention includes a mechanism for varying the amount of gas released todischarge the projectiles as the circumstances warrant. Moreover, thepreferred embodiment utilizes hollow plastic spheres containing pepperspray or mace. These are designed to break upon impact and dissipate thespray in many directions, thereby temporarily incapacitating theassailant or target due to impaired vision and the like.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the hand pistol 10 of the present inventionincludes a housing 12 having a handle 14, a barrel 16 and a projectileor bullet storage cylinder or magazine 18. The barrel 16 preferablyincludes an open muzzle end 20 and a closed base end 22 serving as aprojectile loading chamber. A plurality of preferably sphericalprojectiles 24 are disposed in the magazine 18 in aligned fashion andare maintained under slight compression by a muzzle spring member 26.The spring member 26 provides the force to urge a single projectile 24into the projectile loading chamber 22 through a loading port 27 after apreviously loaded projectile is fired from the barrel 16. In preferredform, a rubber flap or other flexible element 28 is provided in theinterior of the barrel 16 downstream from a loaded projectile 24. Theflap 28 maintains the projectile 24 in the loading chamber 22 withoutinterfering with the firing of the projectile, since its elasticitysimply allows it to fold forward and not impede forceful outwardmovement of a fired projectile. While the exemplary embodiment is a handpistol, it should be understood that the present invention is not solimited and that any type of hand held weapon, i.e. rifles, hand pistolsand the like, that embodies the inventive concepts disclosed and claimedherein.

In this particular embodiment, the magazine 18 is mounted over thebarrel 16 and the rest of the housing 12. A rear opening 36 is providedin the end of the magazine 18, and a plug element 38 is threadablyengageable therewithin. The projectiles 24 are loaded into the magazine18 through the opening 36, and the spring member 26 is engaged andtightened against the loaded projectiles 24 by the threading action ofthe plug 38.

A cylindrical sleeve 40 is formed in the housing 12 coaxial with thebarrel 16 and is sized and shaped to contain the operating components ofthe gun 10, as described below. The handle 14, in preferred form,includes an enclosure 42 which is accessed through an opening 44 andmaintained in a closed position by a closure member 46. A removablecompressed gas cylinder or cartridge 48 is positioned within theenclosure 42 and provides the firing propellant for the projectiles 24.The operating components of the weapon 10 include a trigger 30, a hammerand striker assembly 50, a gas discharge cell with valve assembly 52,and a cocking bolt 54 adapted to move within a bolt slot 55. A velocityadjustment control 56 may be incorporated if desired, although this isnot essential to the invention.

In preferred form, the gas cartridge 48 is inserted into the enclosure42 but not activated until needed by twisting the loading closure memberor knob 46, which presses the cartridge 48 into place and causes the end49 of the cartridge 48 to puncture. Appropriate seals 51 may be utilizedto hold the gas pressure until needed. The seals 51 may hold the gaspressure for months after the cartridge end 49 is punctured. Aspreviously stated, an integral pressure gauge 34 may indicate thepressure remaining in the cartridge 48. The gauge 34 informs the userthat the cartridge end 49 has been punctured and that sufficient gasremains for firing. The gas then passes from the punctured end 49through a tube 58 into the gas discharge cell 52. A valve assembly 60 isprovided in the discharge cell 52 for rapidly delivering a charge ofexpanding gas, which preferably varies from 400-800 psi, into theloading chamber 22, upon pulling the trigger 30, to propel a projectile24 out of the barrel 16. The valve assembly 60 is integrally associatedwith the hammer and striker assembly to accomplish this.

Referring now with particularity to FIGS. 2-4, a hammer element 62 ismaintained in position within the sleeve 40 by a trigger assembly 64, asdescribed in greater detail below. A discharge conduit 66 extends fromits open distal end 68 in the loading chamber 22 along the sleeve 40through the gas discharge cell 52 and terminates in a threaded portion70 exterior to the housing 12. The hammer element 62 is disposed alongthe conduit 66 and is adapted to move longitudinally therealong. Thehammer element 62 preferably includes a radially notched exterior area63 sized and shaped to interact with the trigger assembly 64 asdescribed below. In addition, the interior of the hammer element 62 ishollow and includes an inner chamber 65 having an open front end portion71 and an interior end surface 67. A first O-ring 69 is provided aboutthe exterior of the hammer element proximate the front end portion 71and is adapted to seal the hammer element 62 against air blow-by as itmoves longitudinally along the interior of the sleeve 40.

A striker recoil element 72 or 72′ is threadably secured to the end ofthe conduit 66 proximate the distal end 68 thereof and is sized andshaped to engage and impact the interior end surface 67 of the hammerelement 62 when the hammer element 62 is moved along the conduit 66through the sleeve 40. The recoil element 72 and 72′ each includes acentral aperture 73 coaxially aligned with the distal end 68 of theconduit 68 so that air may pass therethrough into the firing chamber 22.Moreover, a second O-ring 75 is provided about the exterior surface ofthe recoil element 72 and 72′ to prevent air blow-by thereof as ittravels along the inner chamber 65 of the hammer element 62. A springmember 76 engages the opposite end 74 of the hammer element 62 toprovide a bias force against the hammer element 62 to urge it along theconduit 66 toward the striker recoil element 72 or 72′, the triggerassembly 64 maintaining the hammer element 62 in its “cocked” or“loaded” condition with the spring member 76 under compression.

An aperture 78 is provided in the conduit 66 proximate the distal end 68and is located under the recoil element 72 or 72′ when attached thereto.The aperture 78 is in fluid communication with both the interior of theconduit 66 and the interior 65 of the hammer element 62. When thetrigger assembly 64 is released by the pulling of the trigger pull 30,the spring member 76 forces the hammer element 62 quickly along theconduit 66 through the sleeve 40 to impact the striker recoil element72, 72′ with the interior surface 67. This action moves the strikerrecoil element 72, 72′ along with the associated conduit 66longitudinally within the sleeve 40. It also enables the hammer element62 to move axially into the loading chamber 22 to slightly impact theprojectile 24 therein while simultaneously blocking the loading port 27.However, the gas rapidly discharged out through the distal end 68 of theconduit 66 is what propels the projectile 24 out of the barrel 16.Moreover, a small amount of the discharged gas escapes through theaperture 78 into the hammer element chamber 65 and thereby forces thehammer element 62 longitudinally back to its cocked position whilecompressing the spring 76 and reengaging the hemmer element 62 with thetrigger assembly 64.

The gas discharge cell 52 is preferably in the form of a sealed cylinder80 having a front seal 82 through which the conduit 66 passes, which isfurther sealed by an O-ring 84, and a rear seal 86 abutting a rearretainer 88, through which the conduit 66 also passes. A valve port 90is provided in the conduit 66 within the cylinder 80 of the cell 52proximate the rear seal 86. When the port 90 is open to the interior ofthe cylinder 80, discharge gas passes therein into the conduit 66 andrapidly along its length until it is discharged primarily out of thedistal end 68 to propel the projectile 24 out of the barrel 16. The airis then secondarily discharged through the aperture 78 to reverse themovement of the hammer element 62 and conduit 66 to close the valve port90. When the valve port 90 is closed by engagement within the rear seal86, no gas is discharged through the conduit 66. A valve seat 92 issecured to the conduit 66 adjacent the valve port 90, and a springmember 94 engages a front plate 96 at the front seal 82 and the valveseat 92 within the cylinder 80. The spring member 94 is adapted to urgethe valve seat axially toward the rear seal 86 so as to normallymaintain the valve port 90 in a closed position within the seal 86.

When the conduit 66 and all of the components attached thereto orassociated therewith, i.e. the striker recoil element 72, the aperture78 and the valve seat 92, are moved axially within the sleeve 40 towardthe loading and firing chamber upon impact of the hammer element surface67 against the striker recoil element 72, 72′, the valve port 90 ismomentarily opened and exposed to the interior of the cylinder 80. Atthis moment, compressed gas within the cell 52 rushes into the valveport 90 down along the length of the conduit 66 and out of the distalend 68 to propel the projectile 24 in the loading chamber 22 out of thebarrel 16 along with a slight impact provided by the hammer element 62.However, the primary propellant is the compressed gas discharged out ofthe distal end 68. As previously indicated, residual compressed gasescapes through the aperture 78 to return the hammer element 62 andconduit 66 to their initial position along with action by the springmember 94. Therefore, the force imposed on the projectile 24 and theresulting impact provided by the projectile against its target isdirectly dependent on the amount and resulting force of gas dischargedat the distal end 68. This, in turn, is then directly dependent on theamount of time the valve port 90 is open and exposed to the interior ofthe cell 52.

As previously stated, a threaded adjustment portion 70 of the conduit 66may be disposed exterior to the housing 12 to permit adjustment of thegas discharge into the opening 90 by adjusting the exposure of the port90 to the interior of the chamber 52. It should be understood, however,that this adjustment feature is optional to the present invention. Inthis adjustment embodiment, the velocity adjustment knob 56 isthreadably engaged over the adjustment portion 70 so that the inneradjustment plate 98 of the knob 56 is designed to impact the rearretainer 88 when the conduit 66 is moved longitudinally by the hammerelement 62 and thereby terminate the longitudinal travel of the conduit66 and the components attached thereto. Thus, the greater the distancebetween the rear retainer plate 88 and the inner adjustment plate 98,the greater the distance traveled by the conduit 66, which in turn meansthe longer the valve port 90 remains in an open position and the greaterthe amount of gas in the gas charge imposed on the projectile 24.Likewise, if the distance between the rear retainer plate 88 and theinner adjustment plate 98 is decreased, the time the valve port will bein an open position is also decreased thereby decreasing the gasdischarge volume and resulting projectile impact force. Consequently,the force of the fired projectiles may be readily varied from shot toshot by simply turning the velocity adjustment knob 56.

It should also be noted that as the spring member 94 within the cell 52urges the valve seat 92 against the rear seal 86 and thereby closes thevalve port 90, the aperture 78 directs the gas into the interior chamber65 of the hammer element 62. This expands and acts to return the hammerelement 62 to its initial “loaded” position. When this occurs, thetrigger assembly engages the hammer element 62 to retain it in thisposition until the trigger pull 30 is pulled once again. Moreover, whenthe hammer element 62 returns to its initial position, the strikerrecoil element 72, 72′ also returns to its respective initial position.This action resets the striker recoil element 72, 72′ for another impactby the hammer element 62, and the return movement of the hammer element62 opens the loading port 27. This return action by the hammer element62 in turns enables the spring member 26 in the magazine 18 to urgeanother projectile 24 from the magazine 18 automatically into theloading chamber 22 to ready the gun 10 for another firing. In addition,the cocking bolt 54 is attached to the hammer element 62 and movestherewith. Since the bolt 54 projects out of the slot 55, the hammerelement 62 may be manually cocked to engage the trigger assembly 64therewith by pulling the bolt 54 rearwardly.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, one preferred form of the triggerassembly 64 is disclosed. In this embodiment, the assembly 64 includes atrigger pull 30 which is pivotally attached to the housing 12 by a pivotpin 100. The trigger pull 30 includes a forward extension arm 102 and arearwardly extending cam 104 which includes a cam surface 106. A triggercontrol arm 108 is mounted on a slide pin 110 and includes a cam pin 112extending from a first end thereof to engage the cam surface 106 of thetrigger pull 30. The second control end 114 of the trigger control arm108 is adapted to selectively engage a catch 116 formed in the notch 63of the hammer element 62 to maintain the hammer element 62 is its loadedposition in opposition to the bias force of the spring member 76. Whenthe trigger pull 30 is moved rearwardly in the direction of the arrow118, the cam surface 106 rotates the cam pin 112 and disengages thecontrol end 114 from the hammer catch 116, thereby releasing the hammerelement 62 to move forwardly within the sleeve 40 as described above.When the hammer element 62 returns to its starting position, the catch116 reengages the control end 114 to retain the hammer in its loadedposition until the trigger pull is again moved rearwardly.

A safety pin 120 is preferably positioned forward of the trigger pull 30and is adapted to move laterally relative to the longitudinal axis ofthe housing 12 and includes a thick portion 122 and a thin portion 124,as illustrated. The forward extension arm 102 is sized so that it willstrike the pin 120 when the trigger pull 30 is pulled rearwardly in thedirection of the arrow 118. In this manner, when the pin 120 is in itssafety position, the thicker portion 122 of the pin 120 engages theforward extension arm 102 so that the trigger pull is incapable of beingmoved rearwardly a sufficient distance to disengage the control end 114from the catch 116. When the pin 120 is moved laterally to present thethin portion 124 for engagement with the forward extension arm 102, thecontrol end 114 disengages from the catch 116 permitting the hammerelement 62 to move.

As described above with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, theprojectile 24 velocity may be controlled by adjusting the amount ofcompressed gas released from the discharge cell 52 into the loadingchamber 22 by changing the position of the velocity adjustment control56 on the conduit adjustment portion 70. Another manner of controllingthe velocity of the projectiles 24 is by providing the same gas pressurein each gas charge transferred from the cell 52 into the loading chamber22, and then venting varying portions of the discharged gas in theloading chamber to thereby adjust the total gas pressure pushing theprojectile 24 out of the barrel 16.

As can be seen from the above, a non-lethal hand pistol is disclosedwhich utilizes compressed gas to fire a lightweight aluminum or similarmetal bullet at sufficient velocity to cause severe pain but not topenetrate the human body. Moreover, rubber spheres as well as plasticspheres containing pepper spray or other chemical incapacitatingsolution contained therein may be used with the device of the presentinvention. Additionally, paint balls may be adapted for use with thedevice of the invention for play. As discussed above, the projectilescan be solid or hollow and are fired at velocities generated by gaspressures of from 400-800 psi per firing. The variable velocity settingcapability of one embodiment of the present invention allows the bulletsto hit the attacker with mild to severe force as the situation mayrequire. Moreover, sufficient force to break spherical chemicalprojectiles may be used.

Manually pulling back the cocking bolt of the present invention placesthe gun in an armed position by pulling back the hammer, loading thefirst bullet and then allowing gas to enter the valve assembly. Pullingthe trigger activates the hammer, opens the valve and allows gas toenter the bolt assembly, thereby discharging a bullet. The trigger isspring-loaded, and the return hammer action loads the next bullet andrefills the valve with gas for the next firing, allowing forsemi-automatic firing of the bullets in several of the embodiments.

Loud noise is also an important factor in deterring an attacker. Becauseof this, the weapon of the present invention may incorporate avalve/hammer/bolt and barrel design that maximizes the “bang” soundproduced by the expanding gas when firing the gun. Also, the surfaceprofile of the bullets themselves can be shaped in such a way as toproduce a sound in flight that can be heard by the attacker as theprojectiles speed by, letting the attacker know that he is being shotat.

Prior art firearms utilize levers and springs to accomplish loading ofbullets into the firing chamber, firing the bullets, discharging thespent shells, and the like. Having gas pressure available with thepresent invention allows the invention to use pneumatics to accomplishall of these functions and more. The pneumatics of the invention allowthe weapon to control the exit velocity of the projectiles, which cannotbe done with a typical firearm. Moreover, in a typical firearm theamount of gun powder is pre-loaded in the shell of a bullet. Thepneumatics of the present invention, however, allows one to controlfunctions away from the trigger providing more design freedom andconfiguration options. Moreover, prior art firearm bullets are dangerousin and of themselves since they contain gun powder and can explode whenstruck or overheated. The present invention permits projectiles to beloaded and be completely safe until the gas cartridge is activated. Itis also equipped with a safety button that locks the trigger and keepsit from moving.

The energy contained in compressed gas is considerable. The energycontained in liquefied compressed gas such as carbon dioxide is evenmore powerful. A standard 12-gram carbon dioxide gas cartridge, asdisclosed above, has sufficient power to fire up to 20 of the solidaluminum projectiles at a mild velocity setting or 6-7 projectiles at asevere impact velocity. Since there is generally more gas available inone gas cartridge than needed to fire an entire projectile magazine,some of the excess gas can be utilized to maximize the “bang” sound asdiscussed above. Moreover, some of the gas is also used to re-cock theweapon. Because there is no gun powder involved in the weapon of thepresent invention, a non-lethal gun constructed in accordance with thepresent invention can be completely wet yet still fired successfully. Itcan even be submerged and then used successfully.

While the present invention does not have the deadly stopping power of ahigh velocity bullet fired from a prior art firearm, such deadly forceis generally not necessary to deter many typical crimes. Moreover, thereare many situations where deadly force is either not needed, wanted oreven permitted by law. In fact, many states prohibit the use of deadlyforce unless one's own life or the lives of one's family are at stake.Many crimes do not involve this type of situation, such as burglaries,vandalism, robberies and the like where your own life is clearly not indanger. As a result, severe bruises inflicted on a criminal utilizing aweapon constructed in accordance with the present invention would verylikely stop the crime in progress or at least provide a temporary timebreak, permitting one to flee in safety. Alternatively, chemical spray,such as mace or pepper spray, dispersed by broken projectiles uponimpact can readily temporarily incapacitate a person committing a crime.

The present invention is especially useful since it does have thecapability of varying the force with which a projectile is shot. None ofthe prior references provide such accommodation features in a non-lethalweapon which is specifically designed to deter crime, rather than toprovide entertainment.

The foregoing description and the illustrative embodiments of thepresent invention have been described in detail in varying modificationsand alternate embodiments. It should be understood, however, that theforegoing description of the present invention is exemplary only, andthat the scope of the present invention is to be limited to the claimsas interpreted in view of the prior art. Moreover, the inventionillustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absenceof any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.

1. A weapon for discharging high velocity, non-lethal projectilesutilizing pressurized gas, said weapon comprising: a housing including ahandle and a projectile storage cylinder sized and shaped to receive aplurality of substantially spherical-shaped projectiles; a dischargebarrel having an open muzzle end and a closed base end proximate saidprojectile storage cylinder; a projectile loading chamber disposed atsaid barrel base end and communicating with said projectile storagecylinder; an enclosure for receiving a removable pressurized gas storagesource; a gas discharge cell communicating with a gas storage source insaid enclosure and adapted to receive compressed gas for selectiveprojectile discharge; a hammer and striker assembly for selectivelyreleasing a charge of compressed gas from said gas discharge cell intosaid loading chamber to discharge a projectile through said barrel andinto said hammer and striker assembly to return said weapon to afiring-ready condition; and a trigger assembly for selectively operatingsaid hammer and striker assembly.
 2. The weapon as claimed in claim 1,wherein the pressure of said gas charge released by said gas dischargecell may be varied between 400-800 psig. per charge.
 3. The weapon asclaimed in claim 2, wherein said removable gas storage source comprisesa replaceable gas cartridge disposed in said enclosure and containingcompressed gas of an amount sufficient for up to 20 charges.
 4. Theweapon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hammer and striker assemblycomprises a hammer element and a striker recoil element, both adaptedfor reciprocal movement within said housing to control loading of aprojectile from said projectile storage cylinder to said loading chamberwhile simultaneously controlling the return of said hammer element to anarmed position.
 5. The weapon as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidprojectiles comprise spheres, and wherein said projectile storagechamber further includes a spring bias mechanism for urging movement ofsaid spheres into said loading chamber.
 6. The weapon as claimed inclaim 5, wherein said spheres are approximately 0.5″-0.8″ in diameterand 5-10 grams in weight.
 7. The weapon as claimed in claim 6, whereinsaid spheres are substantially hollow, adapted for breakage upon impactand contain a chemical solution for incapacitating the impact recipient.8. The weapon as claimed in claim 6, wherein said spheres areconstructed from material selected from the group consisting ofaluminum, stainless steel, nylon, and other dense solid materials. 9.The weapon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said weapon comprises asemi-automatic pistol.
 10. The weapon as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid weapon further comprises a valve assembly associated with said gasdischarge cell adapted to permit selective variance of the compressedgas charge pressure released by said hammer assembly to correspondinglyvary the velocity and impact of the discharged projectile.
 11. Theweapon as claimed in claim 10, wherein said valve assembly comprises aprojectile velocity adjustment knob for selectively varying the volumeof gas discharged by said gas discharge cell into said loading chamberin any one single charge.
 12. The weapon as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid hammer and striker assembly comprises a striker recoil elementadapted for reciprocal movement between first and second strikerpositions, a hammer element adapted for reciprocal movement betweenfirst and second hammer element positions, a first spring bias memberfor urging said hammer element in a first direction from said firsthammer element position to said second hammer element position to impactsaid striker recoil element and move it to said second striker position,a gas discharge valve adapted for releasing a charge of gas from saidgas discharge cell to said loading chamber upon movement of said strikerrecoil element to said second striker position resulting from impact bysaid hammer element, a secondary gas discharge aperture adapted torelease a portion of said charge of gas from said gas discharge cellwithin said hammer element to return said hammer element to its firsthammer element position while closing said gas discharge valve, saidtrigger assembly selectively retaining said hammer element in its firsthammer element position until release.
 13. The weapon as claimed inclaim 12, wherein said weapon further comprises a conduit memberinterconnecting said gas discharge cell and said loading chamber, saidgas discharge valve being disposed in said conduit within said gasdischarge cell and including a valve seat for opening and closing saidvalve.
 14. The weapon as claimed in claim 13, wherein said conduitfurther comprises a primary gas discharge opening disposed in the distalend of said conduit at said firing chamber to release gas therein andfire said projectile, said secondary gas discharge aperture beingdisposed in said conduit proximate said distal end and covered by saidstriker recoil element to divert gas into said hammer element to returnit to its first position.
 15. In a weapon for discharging high velocityprojectiles utilizing pressurized gas, said weapon including a housinghaving a handle and a projectile storage cylinder sized and shaped toreceive a plurality of projectiles, a discharge barrel having an openmuzzle end and a closed base end proximate the projectile storagecylinder, a projectile loading chamber disposed at the barrel base endand communicating with the projectile storage cylinder, an enclosure forreceiving a removable pressurized gas storage cartridge, a hammerassembly for selectively releasing a charge of compressed gas from thepressurized gas storage cartridge into the loading chamber to dischargea projectile through the barrel, and a trigger assembly for selectivelyoperating the hammer assembly, the improvement wherein said weapon isadapted for discharging high velocity, non-lethal projectiles andfurther comprises a gas discharge cell communicating with said gasstorage cartridge and adapted to receive a charge of compressed gastherefrom for selective release into said projectile loading chamber forprojectile discharge, and a valve assembly associated with said gasdischarge cell adapted to control the release of gas into said loadingchamber for projectile discharge.
 16. The weapon improvement of claim15, wherein said projectile storage cylinder comprises a spring loadedmagazine having a spring bias member for urging the non-lethalprojectiles into said projectile loading chamber.
 17. The weaponimprovement of claim 15, wherein said hammer assembly comprises astriker recoil element adapted for reciprocal movement between first andsecond striker positions, a hammer element adapted for reciprocalmovement between first and second hammer element positions, a firstspring bias member for urging said hammer element in a first directionfrom said first hammer element position to said second hammer elementposition to impact said striker recoil element and move it to saidsecond striker position, a gas discharge valve adapted for releasing acharge of gas from said gas discharge cell through a primary gasdischarge opening into said loading chamber upon movement of saidstriker recoil element to said second striker position resulting fromimpact by said hammer element, a secondary gas discharge apertureadapted to release a portion of said charge of gas from said gasdischarge cell within said hammer element to return said hammer elementto its first hammer element position while closing said gas dischargevalve, said trigger assembly selectively retaining said hammer elementin its first hammer element position until release.
 18. The weaponimprovement of claim 17, wherein said weapon further comprises a conduitmember interconnecting said gas discharge cell and said loading chamber,said gas discharge valve being disposed in said conduit within said gasdischarge cell and including a valve seat for opening and closing saidvalve, said primary gas discharge opening being disposed in the distalend of said conduit at said firing chamber.
 19. The weapon as claimed inclaim 18, wherein said secondary gas discharge aperture is disposed insaid conduit proximate said distal end and covered by said strikerrecoil element to divert gas into said hammer element to return it toits first position.
 20. The weapon as claimed in claim 18, wherein saidvalve assembly further comprises a projectile velocity adjustment knobfor selectively varying the amount of gas discharged into said gasdischarge cell from said gas storage cartridge to vary the volume of gasin any one single charge for release into said loading chamber.
 21. Asemi-automatic pistol for discharging high velocity, non-lethalprojectiles utilizing pressurized gas, said pistol comprising: a housingincluding a handle, a discharge barrel having an open muzzle end and aclosed base end, a projectile storage cylinder sized and shaped toreceive a plurality of aligned and substantially spherical-shapedprojectiles and positioned adjacent and substantially parallel to saiddischarge barrel, and a sleeve for containing pistol operating elements;a projectile loading chamber disposed at said barrel base end andcommunicating with said projectile storage cylinder; an enclosure forreceiving a removable pressurized gas storage cartridge; a gas dischargecell disposed in said sleeve for communicating with the gas storagecartridge in said enclosure and adapted to receive a charge ofcompressed gas for selective projectile discharge; a valve assemblydisposed in said sleeve and associated with said gas discharge cell tocontrol the release of gas into said loading chamber for projectiledischarge; a conduit member interconnecting said gas discharge cell andsaid loading chamber; a hammer element adapted for reciprocal movementalong said conduit member between first and second hammer elementpositions; a striker recoil element adapted for reciprocal movementalong said conduit member between first and second striker positions; afirst spring bias member for urging said hammer element in a firstdirection from said first hammer element position to said second hammerelement position to impact said striker recoil element and move it tosaid second striker position; a primary gas discharge opening defined inthe distal end of said conduit at said loading chamber; a gas dischargevalve adapted for releasing a charge of gas from said gas discharge cellthrough said conduit and said primary gas discharge opening into saidloading chamber upon movement of said striker recoil element to saidsecond striker position resulting from impact by said hammer element; asecondary gas discharge aperture adapted to release a portion of saidcharge of gas from said gas discharge cell Within said hammer element toreturn said hammer element to said first hammer element position whileclosing said gas discharge valve; and a trigger assembly for selectivelyoperating said hammer element.
 22. The semi-automatic pistol as claimedin claim 21, wherein said sleeve is positioned coaxially with saidbarrel.